Page 2 of Dancing Moonbeam

And he’d forgotten to grab the charger in his haste to start his “vacation.”

“You’re unbelievable!”

“Ack!” Jerking sideways then spinning, Raidh slammed his hand against his chest, his heart beating so hard it should have cracked a few ribs. “How did you follow me?”

Elvine stood there, glaring like she was a fierce warrior, but she was, in reality, a tiny-framed pacifist. Her twig arms were crossed over her chest, her dainty jaw clenched. “How do you think? I used an enchantment to find your location. I can’t believe you left me behind, Raidh. We always travel to the human realm together.”

The hurt in his friend’s meadow-green eyes made Raidh feel guilty, but this wasn’t just another one of their day trips to sneak out and have fun. “Because this is different,” he admitted. “I’m staying a bit longer this time.”

She looked at him with wide eyes and whispered, “Staying any longer than a day is dangerous, especially if your sister discovers you’re gone. Odette will go straight to your parents, Raidh.”

“Why are you whispering?” Raidh asked in an equally low voice. “It’s not like anyone from our realm can hear you right now.”

“Fine,” she said in a normal tone. “How long are we going to be gone?”

“There is no we.” Raidh started down the street, Elvine following. “I’m not letting you get punished when they discover I’m gone.”

He couldn’t live with that on his conscience. Unseelie punishments were harsh, and Elvine was too innocent and sweet to endure what their king would do to her when they were caught.

Okay, so it wasn’t an extended “vacation.” Raidh didn’t plan on returning, but he wasn’t mentioning that to Elvine. She would hound Raidh to return, and when she realized her relentless pestering wouldn’t work, she would insist on staying with him.

“There has been a we since we were running around in nappies,” Elvine argued. “I know you, Raidh. What are you up to?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. “Will you hold still for one second and tell me why you’re staying longer?”

“Ugh. My annual family gathering.”

“But that’s over two weeks away.” Her blue brows knitted.

“And what happens in those weeks prior to my relatives showing up?” Which, for Raidh, was the worst part about the gathering.

“Your family practices nonstop so they can win.” Elvine patted his arm sympathetically. “Oh, sweetie. Are you worried about losing for the eight hundred and twentieth time in a row?”

“Your confidence in me warms the cockles of my heart.” Raidh started walking again, hoping he could walk right out of his miserable life and into someone else’s.

His father would come after him for breaking the law and not attending the competition. Despite Raidh’s father considering him a failure at magic, Galamir still included him in the event to save face.

Galamir was a stone-cold arrogant jerk, looking down on those he saw as lower class. He even treated his own son with disdain for not bending to his will.

Honestly, Raidh enjoyed spending time with those his father considered unworthy.

“You’re not coming back, are you?” she asked softly.

Jeez. Raidh didn’t need this right now. He’d planned to stay with the family in Brazil he always visited, but since the enchantment decided to drop his runaway butt somewhere else, he had no idea what he was going to do now.

“Okay, breathe,” Elvine said. “We can work through this crisis. You’re just overwhelmed, Raidh. It’s not too late to go back.”

Raidh stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You need to go back, Elvine. I’m committed to staying.”

“You definitely need to be committed,” she said under her breath.

“What was that?” Raidh narrowed his eyes.

“Nothing.” She smiled sweetly at him.

“Just go back for now.” He decided to reason with her. “You can find my location, so if you’re worried, just come see me.”

Raidh planned on fixing the problem with his location. He was going to use a concealment spell to make him undetectable. He should have done that before he’d left.

One of the many things he should have thought of before he’d taken off. Like grabbing his charger.

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